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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. track — to keep track
  3. tear — from crying
  4. cue — for pool
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. wind — moving air
  7. foot — a measure
  8. field — farmland
  9. track — a path
  10. court — of a king
  11. track — a song
  12. wind — moving air
  13. court — of law
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. cue — a hint
  16. field — for sport
  17. tear — to rip
  18. court — for sport
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. tear — from crying
  23. cue — a signal
  24. foot — the bottom

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com